Sandra Smeltzer

Won't You Be My (Political) Friend? The Changing Face(book) of Socio-Political Contestation in Malaysia

Abstract Using Malaysia as a case study, this article explores the potential of Facebook (the social networking website) as a tool for political change within restricted media environments. In countries with little or no freedom of the press, citizens often turn to alternative forms of media to express dissent, connect with like-minded individuals, and organize. Facebooks integrated privacy controls can help facilitate such connections and may lend themselves to discussion and debate that challenge the status quo, particularly in Malaysia, which has emphasized economics before political rights and civil liberties since the countrys independence.

Asking Tough Questions: The Ethics of Studying Activism in Democratically Restricted Environments

In this article I examine the ethics of researching media-related activism in democratically restricted environments. Given that research participants in these locales often place a lot on the line to engage in their chosen political pursuits, including enduring government harassment and persecution, the ethics of conducting research about their activism deserves serious critical attention and analysis. Drawing on fieldwork examples from Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, I also critically address the safety and welfare of researchers working in restricted milieus and of students interning with politically oriented non-governmental and community-based organizations. Through this discussion I explore what kinds of activism can and should be included under the broad umbrella of activist research, and how academics balance scholarly production expectations with activist commitments on the ground. I contend that activist-oriented research can include a range of complementary hands-on activities, from front-line, direct-action social justice pursuits to less visible, though no less important, “back office” support for local organizations and social movements.

Student Rights in an Age of Austerity? ‘Security’, Freedom of Expression and the Neoliberal University

In this profile, we examine a worrying trend taking place in institutions of higher education around the world: a notable increase in their managerial corporatization and neoliberalization, combined with greater repression of freedom of expression on campuses under the aegis of ‘securitization’. We focus attention specifically on how these twinned trends have impacted student activism in a post-2008 austerity-driven economic environment. Drawing on examples from Canada and elsewhere, we highlight attempts to depoliticize and institutionalize student engagement, as well as evidence of students working to break free of myriad constraints to foment change in their respective communities.

Probiotics in Tanzania: a multi-partner development project

This article critically examines an HIV/AIDS development and research project in Mwanza, Tanzania. A group of women produce a type of probiotic yoghurt that has provided evidence of lowering the incidence of HIV infection. The yoghurt is consumed by the women, their family members, and local citizens living with HIV/AIDS; surplus is sold within the community. While the projects multi-partner, multi-disciplinary composition allows for varied expertise and insights, it also requires open and collaborative dialogue. This article discusses the projects challenges, positive outcomes, and some of the socio-cultural issues that need to be addressed if it expands in size and/or scope.